Delayed-action valve mechanism



y 1, 1 c. F. S'IY'ODDARD 1,769,760

. DELAYED ACTION VALVE MECHANISM Filed Aug. 4, 1923 H b 35 :j1:13.111111111 7:1: iii

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Patented July 1, 1930 PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. STODDARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DELAYED-ACTION VALVE MECHANISM Application filed August 4, 1923. Serial No. 655,556.

The present invention relates to mechanism for pneumatically operated musical instruments such as pianos and more particularly to valve mechanism for controlling the operation of mechanical parts of the apparatus. Among other objects, the invention is intended to provide an apparatus capable of preventing accidental operation of the rewinding mechanism, for example,

or of effecting a relatively delayed operation of the rewinding or other mechanism. For illustration, the accompanying drawings show one practical embodiment of the invention employing suitable pneumatically governed devices in cooperation with a piano action. This illustrated embodiment comprises apparatus whereby the rewinding of the'note sheet is made to take place at a predetermined point in the travel of the sheet and at no other point. In other words,

it is intended to provide a note sheet rewinding mechanism which will operate effectively at a predetermined point and which cannot be accidentally operated at any other point. It sometimes happens that, in the passage of a note sheet over the tracker board, a perforation in the sheet other than a rewinding perforation will move into vent opening relation to the tracker vent connected with the rewinding control mechanism, thus bringing about a premature operation of the rewinding mechanism.

One feature of the invention is the provision of a relatively extended perforation which, during the continued movement of the note sheet will expose and keep open the vent connected with any desired mechanism, the operation of which it is intended to retard, as for example, the rewinding mechanism. Thus, if the operation of the particular mechanism will not take effect until a predetermined interval after the initial opening of the vent, which interval is longer than the longest interval which might be supplied by an adjacent perforation, it will be seen that accidental operation of the particular mechanism cannot be effected by the incidence of one or the other relatively shorter perforation adjacent to the path of 50 the relatively long or extended perforation.

The character of the invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which the specific illustrated embodiment above referred to is shown diagrammatically, and in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a typical piano action with rewinding mechanism and control therefor,

Figure 2, a top plan view of one of the parts shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 3, a side elevation of the same with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawings, a typical piano action is shown in its normal position of rest and includes a key control sticker B, acting on a wippen I, a hammer O, damper E, string D, and other parts well known in the art. To operate the action pneumatically, a motor pneumatic F is provided having a sticker H to act upon the wippenI, said pneumatic being controlled by suitable valve mechanism operated from the tracker board G through a duct 10 in the usual manner. A note sheet 11 having note sounding or expression controlling perforations as 12 is mounted on rollers 13 and 14 journaled in a frame 15. For the purposes of the present description, it is contemplated that the roller 13 is a permanent part of thepianO mechanism and the roller 14 is a note sheet 8 carrying roller ordinarily separate from the piano mechanism but attachable thereto for operation. Note sheet unwinding operation of the roller 13 is effected by any suitable means shown in the drawings herewith as consisting of a shaft 16 journaled in a frame 17 and having a pinion 18 secured to a sleeve 25, also carrying a clutch 26, said pinion and said clutch being slidable lengthwise of said shaft 16 by means of a lever 26 pivoted at 27 and actuated by a push rod 28 having a handle 29 for manual operation. The pinion 18 meshes with a gear 19 attached to a shaft 20 of the roller 13. The shaft 16 also carries a toothed sprocket 21 driven by a chain 22 which also passes over a sprocket 23 mounted on the shaft 24 of a wind motor or other suitable source of power. Thus, when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the note sheet will travel in the direction of the arrow and the perforations therein will successively pass over the vents in the tracker board either to operate the piano action or to operate expression or other mechanism. To reverse the operation of the winding mechanism or to rewind the note sheet on the detachable roller 14-, the lever 26 is deflected by endwise movement of the rod 28 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, thus moving the clutch 26 along shaft 16 and in position to engage a projecting pin 30 secured to an idler gear 31 loosely mounted on shaft 16. The roller is engages and turns with a shaft 32 carrying a gear 33 which is driven by a chain 34: engaging the idler 31. The rover"- ing thrust of the lever 26 not only moves the clutch 26 into engagement with the pin 30, but it also disengages the pinion 18 from the gear 19, thus leaving the roller 13 free to rotate in either direction. Continued operation of the motor therefore drives the shaft in the reverse direction and rewind's the note sheet on the roller 14.

This rewinding operation is ordinarily accomplished automatically by a pneumatic device including a motor pneumatic arranged to deflect the lever 26 upon the incidence of a perforation in the note sheet with a tracker vent, the opening of the vent serving to permit the operation of :1 valve which connects the motor pneumatic with a source of exhaust. It occasionally happens that the perforations in the note sheet do not register accurately with their proper tracker vents, even though tracking devices are employed, and the rewinding mechanism is thus accidentally set in motion.

As shown in the drawings illustrating a type of mechanism intended to prevent acci dental operation of the rewinding mechanism, the tracker board G has a primary vent 35 which registers with an elongated perforation 36 in the note sheet and communicates with a duct 37 connecting with what may be termed a primary valve 38. The push rod 28 hereinabove referred to in connection with the reversing mechanism is actuated by motor pneumatic 39 having a projecting arm -10 engaging said rod 28, said motor pneumatic being in operative communication with a secondary valve 41 connected with the wind chest by duct 42, the primary valve 38 also being connected to the wind chest in a similar manner. Atmosphere may be admitted to the secondary valve 41 through a duct 43 controlled by a valve 44 pivotally mounted and having one end normally pressed into closing position with respect to a vent 52 of said duct by means of a spring 45, said vent 52 being for purposes of this description, a secondary vent. The other end of said valve is provided with a bearing 46 positioned in the path of a lug 47 mounted on a pneumatic 48 which is held normally in distended position by a spring 49 and which communicates with the valve chamber of valve 38 through a duct 50, the effective opening of said duct, and consequently the How of air therethrough, being conveniently controlled by a screw 51. In operation, when the elongated perforation 36 registers with the primary vent 35, atmosphere will be admitted to the diaphragm chamber of the valve 38, thus opening the duct 50 to exhaust and collapsing the pneumatic 48. The flow of air is adjusted by manipulation of the screw 51 to bring about a gradual collapse of the pneumatic during the continued passage of the perforation 36 across said primary vent 35, the duration of said passage being sufli cient to permit the lug 47 to engage bearing 16 on the valve 44 and to depress the same for the purpose of opening the secondary vent 52 to atmosphere, whereupon the valve 41 is opened and an immediate operation of the pneumatic 39 takes place for the purpose of reversing the direction of operation of the winding mechanism.

From the foregoing description of my improved mechanism and the statement of its operation, it will be seen that a short perforation such as 12 could not bring about the operation of the rewinding mechanism because the accidental opening of the primary vent 35 by the perforation 12 would not be of suflicient duration to permit complete movement of the lug 47 in the direction of the bearing 16 and such complete movement can only take efiect when the opening of vent 35 is continued by a predetermined amount which is substantially greater than that which could be effected or provided by any adjacent opening during normal movement of the note sheet in operation. Obviously, the same or similar mechanism may advantageously be applied to other mechanically moving parts to prevent accidental operation or to retard operation for any other purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. Valve mechanism for a pneumatically operated musical instrument having a trackor and tracker controlled pneumatically operated devices, including, in combination, apneumatic device, a valve having operative connection with said pneumatic device, eifective valve-controlling connections between said valve and a vent in the tracker, and means interposed in said connection for retarding the efl'ect upon said valve of the opening of said tracker vent.

2. Valve mechanism for a pneumatically operated musical instrument having a tracker and tracker controlled pneumatically operated devices, including, in combination, a pneumatic device, a valve having operative connection with said pneumatic device, and etlective valve-controlling connections between said valve and a vent in the tracker comprising a. duct normally closed to atmosphere and communicating with said valve, and means operatively connected with the tracker vent for opening said duct a predetermined measurable interval after an initial opening of the vent.

3. Valve mechanism for a pneumatically operated musical instrument having a tracker and tracker controlled pneumatically operated devices, including, in combination, a pneumatic device, a valve having operative connection with said pneumatic device, and effective valve-controlling connections between said valve and a vent in the tracker comprising a duct normally closed to atmosphere and communicating with said valve, and a device for opening said duct, said device being operativelyconnected with and controlled by the tracker vent.

4. Valve mechanism for a pneumatically operated musical instrument having a tracker and tracker controlled pneumatically operated devices, including, in combination, a

pneumatic device, a valve having operative connection with said pneumatic device, and effective valve-controlling connections between said valve and a vent in the tracker comprising a duct normally closed to atmosphere and communicating with said valve, and a pneumatically operated device for opening said duct, said device having means for adjusting the speed of duct opening movement thereof.

5. Delayed action mechanism for pneumatic player pianos having connection to a wind chest, a valve operatively connected therewith, a pneumatic device operatively connected to said valve, a secondary vent for said valve, and means for operating said valve including a tracker having a primary vent, and means operative during atmosphere admitting operation of the primary vent to effectively open the secondary vent a predetermined interval after the initial opening of the primary vent.

6. Delayed action mechanism for pneumatic player pianos having connection to a wind chest, comprising, in combination, a secondary valve operatively connected therewith, a pneumatic device operatively c0nnected to the wind chest and to the valve, a secondary vent for said valve and means for opening said secondary vent comprising a tracker bar having a primary "ent, a primary valve operatively connected with said primary vent, a pneumatic device operatively connected with the primary valve and the primary vent and means for exhausting said last mentioned pneumatic device at reduced speed as compared with the exhausting of the first mentioned pneumatic device.

Delayed action mechanism for pneumatic player pianos comprising a secondary pneumatic device, means for exhausting said device with normal rapidity, a primary pneumatic device, means for exhausting the same at reduced speed, said primary pneumatic device being positioned and adapted to actuate the means for controlling the exhausting of the secondary pneumatic device after a predetermined interval of pneumatic exhausting operation of the means for exhausting the primary pneumatic device.

8. Valve mechanism for a pneumatically operated musical instrument having a tracker and tracker controlled pneumatically operated devices including in combination a primary pneumatic device operatively connected with a tracker vent, a primary valve effectively interposed between said vent and said device, a secondary pneumatic device having a secondary vent normally closed, and means actuated by the primary pneumatic device to open the secondary vent.

9. In an automatic musical instrument having the usual tracker bar and note sheet, in combination, pneumatically operated devices; meansto control the same from said tracker bar and note sheet; and means whereby the action of said tracker bar and note sheet on said pneumatically operated devices is delayed an appreciable interval.

10. In an automatic musical instrument having the usual tracker bar and note sheet, in combination, pneumatically operated devices; pneumatic connections between said tracker bar and said pneumatically operated devices; and means interposed in said connections to delay the effective action of the tracker on said devices.

11. In an automatic musical instrument having the usual tracker bar and note sheet, in combination, pneumatically operated devices; a pair of valves interposed between said tracker bar and said pneumatically operated devices; and means interposed between said valves to delay the effective action of one valve'on the other.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 22d day of August, 1923.

CHARLES F. STODDARD. 

